Poudre Canyon jawbone tied to 2008 missing person case

Human remains found earlier this month near Chambers Lake in rural Larimer County have been identified as those of a Thornton man who went missing nearly 6 years ago.

A jawbone and other remains of Robbie Wardwell, 51, were located earlier this month near a campground approximately 50 miles up the Poudre Canyon near Cameron Pass, the sheriff's office and Larimer County Coroner's Office said Tuesday afternoon. The coroner's office is working to determine the manner and cause of death, and additional details are expected to be released later this week.

As of Tuesday afternoon, it was not known whether any criminal activity was associated in the death. If that were the case, it would trigger a "significant investigation" in conjunction with Thornton authorities, Larimer County Sheriff's Office spokesman Nick Christensen said.

Wardwell was last seen in Thornton on Nov. 12, 2008. He was reported missing nearly a week later after he missed work as a switch-man for Burlington Northern Santa Fe railways. His truck was found in Larimer County later that month, according to records from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.